United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

What is UNDP? UNDP is the UN's global development network, helping people meet their needs and build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in 166 countries, working as a trusted partner with governments, civil society and the private sector to help them find solutions to global and national development challenges. World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP's network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these Goals. Our focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of : Democratic Governance Poverty Reduction Crisis Prevention and Recovery Environment and Energy HIV/AIDS

What is UNDP Brussels office about?

UNDP Brussels seeks to maintain, nurture and develop the UNDP partnership with the European Union (EU) and the Government of Belgium in order to:

• Further a progressive development agenda that promotes international UN standards
• Ensure mutual understanding and knowledge
• Mobilise critical resources for its development work on the ground.
  

UNDP Brussels works to promote greater coordination among the UN system, facilitating the UN’s interaction with EU institutions and providing support for official missions and the development of inter-institutional networks. UNDP’s mission in Brussels is to enhance the relationship between UNDP’s global system and EU institutions, ensuring that the policies of both parties are in line with one another and supporting the implementation of joint programmes in the field. UNDP Brussels also directly supports the work of UNDP Country Offices around the world in their dealings with the European Commission.

http://www.undp.org/eu/

Human Development Report

UNDP’s annual Human Development Report focuses the global debate on key development issues, providing new measurement tools, innovative analysis and often controversial policy proposals. The global Report's analytical framework and inclusive approach carry over into regional, national and local Human Development Reports aimed at expanding the range of policy options available to developing country governments and societies.

Human development puts people at the centre of development. It is about realizing human potential, increasing choice and expanding the scope for people to lead the lives they value. Since 1990, the annual Human Development Reports have made significant innovations, analytical contributions and major policy recommendations across a range of global challenges including gender equity, human rights, cultural liberty, water scarcity and climate change.

Human mobility, both within and beyond borders, has become an increasingly prominent theme in domestic and international debates and is the topic of the 2009 Human Development Report, entitled “Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development”. The starting point is that the large inequalities in the global distribution of opportunities are a major driver for movement of people. The main message is that mobility has the potential to enhance human development - among movers, those who stay and destination communities. In practice, however, processes and outcomes can be adverse to movers, and there is an important role for better policies and institutions at the national, regional and international levels

Download the report: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2009/

UNDP Annual report 2009

The 2009 report “Living up to committments”, warns that, following the economic and financial crisis that came to a dramatic head in September 2008 after more than a year of volatile food, energy and commodity prices, the international community must take a step back and examine what is at stake for the hundreds of millions in developing countries who had benefited from the strong growth of the past decade, as well as those who continued to struggle even during that period of global economic expansion, mired in abject poverty.

As UNDP continues to support developing countries as they address the current economic and financial crisis, it is staying true to the shared sets of values as set out by the Millennium Declaration. UNDP thus remains committed to ensuring that our policy advice, technical support and advocacy for strengthening coherence is aimed at one end result: real improvements in people’s lives and in the choices and opportunities open to them.

UNDP’s commitment to capacity development – or the “how” of development – is the organization’s overarching service in the 166 countries where it has a presence. Once needs or constraints are identified – always in consultation with national governments and various local and international development partners – UNDP works with its partners in drawing up a plan of action for capacity development: it gives people, governments, institutions and communities the tools and training required to take charge of addressing their own needs in a way that can be sustainable. The demand from developing countries for capacity development support, especially in the area of developing local services increased dramatically in 2008 as countries faced the fallout from the food, fuel and financial crises. As a result, UNDP responded to requests to facilitate capacity assessments and diagnostics in 65 programme countries in 2008.

Download the report http://www.undp.org/publications/annualreport2009/index.shtml

Library

UNDP and its administered funds — the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and UN Volunteers (UNV) — produce a wide variety of publications that are available free of charge in electronic form on the UNDP Web site www.undp.org. Through its publications, UNDP makes an invaluable contribution to the global development debate aimed at finding solutions to improve people's lives.

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2009
More than halfway to the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), major advances in the fight against poverty and hunger have begun to slow or even reverse as a result of the global economic and food crises. This report warns that, despite many successes, overall progress has been too slow for most of the targets to be met by 2015. The report is coordinated and published by the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results
The 2009 Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results is a revision of the previous Handbook published in 2002. The publication is a corporate initiative to strengthen a culture of results-orientation in UNDP programming, and is different from previous versions. Recognizing the importance of integrating results management at the design stage, it includes guidance on results-based planning. By providing ‘how to’ on results-based planning, monitoring and evaluation, this Handbook is intended to strengthen the organization as a global partner in development.

Elections and Conflict Prevention: A Guide to Analysis, Planning and Programming
This guide identifies strategic approaches and forms of programming that can help to anticipate and prevent the types of violent conflict that can accompany elections and set back development in emerging democracies or post-war societies. It presents valuable lessons learned from the previous, extensive experience of UNDP and its partner organizations in the field.

MDG Gap Task Force Report 2009
This report by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Gap Task Force identifies the main gaps remaining in delivering on the global commitments in the areas of aid, trade, debt relief, and access to new technologies and to affordable

Contact details

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Rue Montoyer 14, 6th Floor
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 505 4620
www.undp.org/eu/